Risk-benefit analysis of the regulation of food contamination with radioactive substances

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25340144
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental policy and social systems
• Research Institution: Fukui Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Oka Tosihiro 福井県立大学, 経済学部, 教授 (00231209)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 福島第一原発 / 放射性セシウム / 発がんリスク / 損失余命 / 費用便益分析 / 食品安全 / 規制

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The food safety regulation implemented to address the contamination with radioactive caesium released by the accident of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was evaluated with respect to its costs and benefits. The costs of the regulation were estimated for the prohibition of the distribution and the processing of agricultural products, and for the countermeasures to reduce the caesium concentration in products. The effects of the regulation were measured by the reduction in the loss of life-expectancy due to the reduction of cancer risk through the reduction of radio-caesium intake. Assuming the benefit from the reduction in loss of life-expectancy by one year is 20 million yen, the efficient value for food standard became 390Bq/kg for rice, and 3600Bq/kg or gradually stringent values for dried Japanese persimmon.

Free Research Field

環境経済学